Corn chowder
January 11, 2006 6:32 PM   Subscribe

Share your corn chowder recipes. I've tried three different ones in the last few weeks and am not satisfied with any of them!
posted by dpx.mfx to Food & Drink (8 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Jasper White's Corn Chowder
posted by ericb at 6:40 PM on January 11, 2006


The best corn chowder I've had included boiling the stripped cobs in the chowder before discarding them.
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:44 PM on January 11, 2006


I was going to say "Don't forget the fat-back." But the bacon is there already in Jasper's
posted by snsranch at 6:51 PM on January 11, 2006


1/2 pound bacon, diced
onion, diced
chicken broth or stock, 2 or 3 cans
evaporated milk, 2 or 3 cans
taters, cubed
corn, either fresh off cob or frozen
fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Cook bacon. When crispy, remove from pan. Discard all but about 2 tbsp of fat. Cook onion in fat until translucent. Depending on size of your pot, add your broth and evaporated milk to fill the post about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way. Add enough taters and corn to make a chunky chowder. Add fresh thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook at a simmer until taters are soft, about 20 minutes. You can either put the bacon back in at this point or sprinkle it on top of the served chowder.

Serve hot, with some sort of crusty bread and butter. Enjoy.
posted by eilatan at 8:02 PM on January 11, 2006


I thought the Joy of Cooking recipe turned out well, and was similar to both of these recipes except after cooking the bacon and the onions you put the corn cobs in the broth as it simmers. Before adding any final seasonings you take the cobs out. Maybe that is equivalent to Jasper's version where you squeeze out the juice from the cobs? You can also use a hand blender a little bit to mash together the corn and/or potato to make it a little thicker (don't make it all uniform, of course!). I don't think the JoC version had corn starch, and I don't think it needed it.
posted by babar at 8:39 PM on January 11, 2006


If you would like something different...in the true style of a native Wisconsinian, I present a recipe for bratwurst chowder, which is actually based on a recipe provided by a tailgater at a Green Bay Packer game. It's essentially corn chowder with meat added.

4-6 grilled Bratwursts
4 slices bacon, diced
3 cups potato, diced
2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups half and half
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups of your favorite Wisconsin Cheese (we recommend Cheddar/Swiss...)
8 uncut Hard Rolls
Variable amount of corn

Grill Brats and set aside. In a large pot, stir fry bacon until slightly brown; add onions, potatoes, tomatoes and celery and cook until somewhat tender. If desired, add corn to desired level. Stir in flour and salt. Gradually add chicken stock and milk. Cook over very low heat until smooth and thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Add cheese and continually stir. Hollow out Hard rolls to create a "bowl" and place on upper grate of grill to allow slow toasting. When cheese is thoroughly melted, fold in chopped bratwurst or simple add as garnish. Serve chowder in Hard Roll bowls...
posted by charmston at 8:54 PM on January 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


about a year ago I found some good corn chowder recipes at digsmagazine. better for vegetarian types. corn chowder w/ cream cheese, thai corn chowder, and mexican spicy corn chowder.
posted by ejaned8 at 9:14 PM on January 11, 2006


Get a hold of the book The Best Soups and Stews' by Cooks' Illustrated. The corn chowder recipe in there is utterly and completely fabulous. Eating it has the same effect on me as the Seinfeld characters experienced in the 'soup nazi' episode. Aside from the corn chowder, favorites in that book are Lamb Tagine and Caldo Verde.

If you aren't familiar with Cooks' Illustrated recipes, the concept is this: try about 100 different variations of a given recipe and then publish the one that's "the best", as well as endless sidebars about, say, how to choose the best salt pork. They are insane, and my taste buds have benefited greatly from their madness.
posted by mcstayinskool at 7:19 AM on January 12, 2006


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